Marvin Bartley on Stenhousemuir's Premier Sports Cup start and squad building

Marvin Bartley says his Stenhousemuir side can’t take Brechin City lightly as he targets another Premier Sports Cup victory this Saturday.

The Warriors chalked up a 2-0 win over Scottish League Two outfit Forfar Athletic at Ochilview Park in their competitive opener last weekend, and they now travel to the Lowland League East club hoping to make it six points from six in Group E come matchday three.

Andy Kirk’s team lost 6-0 in their opener away to Partick Thistle, and they unlike Stenhousemuir face a midweek match with another full time club in Livingston visiting Glebe Park on Tuesday night.

Marvin Bartley on Premier Sports Cup group

“We can’t take them lightly,” boss Bartley told the Falkirk Herald. “Brechin have been handed a tough start for sure, with Thistle and then Livingston before facing us. That’s three Championship teams and two full time teams to start.

“But we can’t think that it is an easy fixture because it isn’t. It was the same with Forfar on Saturday. We had to show the right attitude and battle to win the match. You have to show everyone respect.

“We prepare the same way for whoever we face. Brechin may be a wounded animal come Saturday. I’m sure they’ll be looking for a reaction and they will want to pick up some points at home.

“So many teams slip up in the group stages. The first thing I said to the boys before playing Forfar was that we had to avoid being a team who fell to a potential banana skin.”

Reviewing the 2-0 win, which came courtesy of second-half goals from new loan signing Lewis Hodgkiss and forward Matty Aitken, Bartley praised his players.

He added: “We managed to score two goals and it could have been more. It was another clean sheet for us too. (Lewis) Hodgkiss eventually got his goal on his debut and I am delighted for him. Matty was so good at times and he got his goal.

It’s a pleasing start for us because we are still building our squad. We are only going to get stronger. Gregor Buchanan, who was on holiday, is back for the next game. We had four or five boys in the stand too.

“I am expecting more movement still too with players coming in and going out. I came in late as manager so we are chasing things a little but we are getting there.”

On the transfer front, Bartley confirmed that he was hoping to get one loan deal over the line before the trip to Angus this Saturday.

“I’ve been busy!,” the boss said. “I know Craig McLeish well at St Mirren and that helped get the loan deals sorted. I was probably annoying Shelley Kerr when she was in America, trying to sort of the co-operation deal with Hearts.

“We’ve brought in talented young players too like Sam Young and Scott Bright. The six we have brought in is a great start but we have more to do.

“The biggest thing for me wasn’t bringing in players quickly, it was about making sure that they were the right players for my team and Stenhousemuir.

“We’ve managed to do that and bring in the right profile of player already. We have some trialists still who may win deals and I am hoping to get one loan over the line this week. We have more permanent moves on the go too.”